In Bossier City east of Shreveport stands a 200 ft high cross on the grounds of Central AG Church. Curious about the details, I inquired at the church. The following site gives photos of construction and erection:
<crossonthehill.com>
In short, it is similar to box beam construction with...
I made a field visit to a homebuilt nearing completion. [EAA Tech Counselor inspection]. Everything was fine except that the gas cap cam lock interfaces were very rough with saw tooth appearance. It was 'as drawn.' It had 'Made in China' written all over it, which translated means no attention...
I recently observed a small turbine engine flown in a large radio control model. The engine was the size of my fist with a forward projecting shaft into the elect motor for starting. It had one igniter. They used propane for starting and kerosene for running. Worked fine; good throttle control...
It's only natural to consider that a stimulus package will emphasize 'Buy America.' Or is that too logical. Anybody objecting to that should be examined carefully for motivations. We are not here for the benefit of China or other questionable sources.
Has there been confirmation that this very aircraft was involved in an inflight engine stall during climb that precipitated an AD? Geraldo Rivera talked about it a few days ago.
At this point we have had long experience with sourcing to China, and my experience has been negative for the most part. It caused the downfall of my company in an automotive disaster. When Ford mandated a 10% cost reduction, we passed the reqt to our supplier. He promptly sourced plastic...
Van's Aircraft [Oregon]is tooling up their LSA kit, and the kit price is around $50k. Flight test has revealed a nice performer with a 100HP engine.
Sonex [Oshkosh] is offering their factory built S-LSA including 40HP engine for about $50k. This is in line with pilot expectations. Other factory...
I heard over the years that there was bootleg stuff coming out of China. Sourcing acetal from China ruined my company, our supplier of molded gears, and our customers. Remember, quality companies qualify suppliers, particularly if they are in the orient.
I recently procured a yard work item, and I made some improvments. Is it a waste of time to communicate this to the manufacturer? It was manufactured in Israel by a US designer, not the usual made in China.
I am collaborating on a book tentatively entitled "Management by Disaster." This relates to the chapter on ethics. In facility management there is a tendency to direct plant resources and contractor connections towards personal gain.
An electrical engineer described a situation where the plant...
LSA is an outgrowth of the ultralight movement, and the general expectation was that the production LSA would be priced 3X the price of production ultralights. They are coming in about 5X to 6X! The European mfrs are trying to cash in on what they think is a hot American market.
I suggest that...
During a meeting given by an FAA medical type many years ago, he mentioned physical profiling of flight candidates. Is there a similar thing in HR? I need a good book on the subject.
I heard a story of a recent hire in the service industry that went terribly wrong. A professional physical...
Some idiots are planting the idea that NO needs to be abandoned. Did they abandon Galveston? Did they abandon Miami? A review of the reclamation of Galveston 100 yrs ago, a much smaller community, would be instructional.
New Orleans/Katrina is the worst disaster in recent history. Lest we forget our past history, the Galveston hurricane of about 100 yrs ago claimed 6000-8000 lives. It destroyed thousands of homes and swept half the city into a tangle of rubble and bodies. It also occurred in Sept.
They rebuilt...
I have seen two major wood roof truss collapses in several years in this area, and I wonder if residential wood trusses should not be built in large sizes. This is the type with 2x4 and 2x6 using formed shear plates with projecting spikes. I suggested using steel trusses as a replacement, and...
I am trying to find a meaningful airplane coeff that correlates with skill level. The aim is to keep low timers out of trouble. I listed 80 domestic two seaters from the EAA Aerocrafter.
So far, I have adapted and simplified the speed/power coeff used in propeller work; it boils down to...
Some churches have a bad habit of driving the sound level to ridiculous levels. Two churches I know of peak at 90dBA regularly, measured in the back row. I wear foam plugs, which are good for 30 dB attenuation. What about the people in the front? I calculated 115 dBA in the front at half the...
The FAA is soliciting comments on the T-34 wing separation problem that has been with us for decades. Comment to:
Christy Eckerman, SD Specialist
FAA Wichita Aircraft Cert Office
1801 Airport Rd - Rm 100
Wichita, KS 67209
Perhaps the wing box, engine mt, and wings need a critical design review...
